Bonds beyond Blood
by bibliophile030
Summary: Never go into a potentially deadly situation without a backup plan. Cora-san loved Law, and this deal had no guarantees. So, he called in a favor. Now Law has to contend with a weak little brat with big dreams, an angst-driven hothead, and a caged bird yearning for the sky. Did he mention the sadistic doctor who joined them? LASL and Whitebeard Pirates.
1. North Meets East

Where North Meets East

* * *

A/N: I was hit with this idea after reading and rereading various One Piece fanfictions (for the umpteenth time) such as Scales and Whitebeards by BlueMoonChaos, Home by Girl of Darkness 10, LASL Brotherhood! By ASLlover23, and The Brotherhood of D by Narya Anima – all fairly good and/or awesome. I thought to myself, _why not take a few of the premises of these stories and combine them?_ I've only read a few good LASL stories on , so I thought I try my hand at the cliché. I thank all these authors for inspiring this story. Hope you all enjoy.

Still on hiatus on everything else, though. My muse wills what it wills. Please tell me what you think. I have the first and shortest part finished (their childhood), and I'll work on the other part…meh, depends how I survive the three exams next week and everything.

For this story, I think I'll follow the unmarked shifting character perspectives style most stories follow.

* * *

"Dialogue"

 _Thoughts_

 **Attacks**

 _*Sounds*_

/ Flashback /

\- Significant Temporal/Spatial Changes -

Narration, messages, etc.

* * *

\- Foosha Village, Dawn Island, East Blue –

* * *

"Marine ship!" cried on villager from the docks.

Luffy sprung from his place on the barstool as word spread throughout the tiny village, partly in excitement, partly in fear. After all, the only marine ship to come to Dawn Island was the one belonging to Grampa and his 'Fists of Love.' But Luffy would head obediently to the docks to meet him every time (there was no hiding from Grampa. Ever.).

Sure enough, as soon as the ship docked, Luffy heard rumbling laughter followed by the bulky figure of Marine Vice-Admiral Garp. What Luffy didn't expect was the surly teenager dragged behind him.

Luffy smiled wide in evident glee. _Maybe he'll be my friend!_ Luffy, despite his carefree attitude and easy laughter, was very lonely. He lived with Makino and sometimes the grouchy Mayor Woop Slap, but they were adults. He didn't have any siblings, and the village kids thought he was weird and would make fun of him. He bounced over almost as soon as the two walked onto the dock.

/ "I love you, Law." /

Cora-san's smiling face had haunted Law's dreams for these past few months. The thirteen, almost fourteen, year old had spent the odd few months honing his newfound powers and gradually extracting the deadly amber lead from his system. The white patches had stopped spreading, and the waves of pain had fallen in intensity. He still was pretty sick, but these were the first clear signs of recovery he had since the disease had first manifested. He constantly reminded himself that Cora-san's sacrifice would not be in vain. One day, he would avenge Cora-san's death and stop Doflamingo in his place.

The tragic boy from the White City never factored in the stubbornness and foresight of his patron. Then again, Cora-san was a marine spy. He wasn't a total fool like he always portrayed (mostly). Apparently, sometime after talking with his commanding officer, Cora-san sent a message out to another trusted friend of his while Law slept. Specifically, their location and a promise to find Law in case Cora-san failed to survive their mission on Minion Island. And Law couldn't exactly leave the area very easily or quickly on his own.

One day while practicing, this guy suddenly came out of nowhere. Law lost control of some snow he was manipulating and it all came down on top of him. Once he cleared off the snow, the youth looked up to see a gray-haired and large marine laughing boisterously above him before lifting the boy off the ground.

Garp ranted about a promise to Cora-san to watch over him and before he knew it, the crazy vice-admiral had forced him onto his ship. He also insisted Law would become a marine like Cora-san. Ridiculous! And over his dead body. He's been a pirate for three years, no idiot of a marine would make him be otherwise. Not even a friend of Cora-san. On that note, Law made himself a reminder to avoid reminding Garp of that fact. His head and body ached from what the marine vice-admiral called his 'Fist of Love.'

And now a month later, they were in East Blue, the weakest of the four Blues. Garp mentioned something about his grandson living on his home isle of Dawn Island. Law could care less. The moment the opportunity presented itself, the young pirate would escape and then return to North Blue.

Suddenly, a little boy in a white shirt with "Anchor" across the front barreled into them.

"Hi! Who are you? Why are you all white and stuff? Why do you have dark marks around your eyes? Will you be my friend? Oh, you have a really fluffy hat! Can I touch it?"

"Luffy!" chuckled the old marine. "Training hard to be a strong marine?"

 _Ah. Monkey D. Luffy. Garp's grandson._ The secret D eyed the other D with contempt. _What a headache_. The boy certainly acted like Garp – annoying, loud, and reckless.

"Who's this?" inquired the six-year-old.

"This is your new big brother, Trafalgar Law!"

… _WHAT?!_ Law knew the vice-admiral wanted him as a grandson for whatever reason and kept pestering him to call him grandpa, it didn't even the implications totally bypassed the normally astute boy.

"Not happening," deadpanned the teenager.

"Nonsense! You're my grandson now, Luffy's my grandson, you'll be brothers and fine marines one day!"

Law wisely said nothing. He would rather stay conscious a while longer, even if the world was going crazy.

* * *

\- One week after –

* * *

Luffy. Was. Driving. Law. INSANE. Garp only stayed long enough to settle the teenager in Foosha Village before setting sail on another mission. The little boy didn't look a bit perturbed from the marine's sudden departure. Then again, considering the marine was a vice-admiral with frequent long-termed missions (and he threw both of them into the forest to fight a bunch of psycho monkeys), it was understandable. But the boy would not shut up for more than 30 seconds if Law was lucky. _Were all other D's like this?_ Law certainly acted nothing like the shrimp. After Law severed Luffy's head from his body with his **Amputation** technique, Luffy did stay quiet for a few minutes due to shock. Then he started yelling and crying. Which was worse.

/ "WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" screamed the decapitated but living head. "How am I alive? What's going on?! Torao-niisan, am I going to be okay?! Torao!"

"Stop calling me that Luffy-ya. It's _Trafalgar_ , not Torao! And I am _not_ your older brother no matter what Garp-ya says. Stop yelling. You're giving me an even worse headache than before. You're not going to die, either. I just severed your head with my devil fruit ability."

Luffy's eyes went wide. " _You_ did this?! How? What's a devil fruit? Will I be headless forever? Torao?" blubbered the still hysterical child. Law really regretted showing off his powers.

"Shut. UP! Yes, I did this. A devil fruit is a special and unique fruit that grants those who eat them special powers and abilities. I ate the Ope Ope no Mi, so I'm an operation man. Anything in the blue space you were too busy talking to notice is subject to my power. I'm a doctor, and you became my patient. No, you won't be headless forever if you would just stay quiet for a moment I will put your head back on your body." /

And Law really had no choice. Makino-ya would not be happy to find the talking severed head of Luffy. And Law respected anyone who can stand Garp or Luffy a for extended periods of time.

Despite experiencing his terrifying powers, Luffy somehow became even more enamored with the Ope Ope no Mi user. The little boy thought his "mystery powers" were "awesome." The little brat became a constant hazard, tagging along Law's footsteps wherever he went.

Finally, the teenager snapped. It had been three weeks since he first arrived. Law had just bartered for a new medical text from a visiting trader. The absolute silence lulled the teen to lower his guard on the assumption of losing his annoying shadow.

"Hi! What's that?" Startled, Law fell from the tree, his book tumbling into a puddle from the recent rainstorm. His body ached from the sudden collision, and his new book was ruined.

He lost it. "Why won't you listen?! What is wrong with you? I. Do. Not. Want. To. Be. Your. Friend! Or your brother. You're so annoying and weak! I hate weak people. I hate annoying brats. And you happen to fit both descriptions! So just get lost and leave me alone because I'll be gone the moment I can find a boat off this island."

 _*Sniff*._ During his rant, Luffy's naturally owlish eyes expanded even further. Now glistening tears tracked down his face. Unconcerned, Law picked up his spotted fur hat and shoved it back over his head. He gave a disdainful glare at the younger boy. Luffy sniffled some more, turned, and ran blindly off into the forest.

…

What was that? Did he, Trafalgar Law, seasoned pirate of the Grand Line feel… _guilt?_

"Damn weak pest. Good riddance," muttered the teenager.

… Law sighed. The mayor and Makino-ya would not be very happy if the idiot got killed by some of the freaky animals of the forest.

* * *

\- Forest –

* * *

"Luffy-ya!" shouted Law. The teen eyed the dark confines of the forest warily. Luffy disappeared hours ago, and night fast approached. And with night came the predators.

 _*Distant cries*_. Law tilted his head, trying to locate the source of the cries.

He carefully picked his way over various large roots to a clearing. Several particularly bloodthirsty wolves surrounded the base of a tree. Clinging to a lower branch was Luffy. The boy barely had a hold, his feet dangling just beyond the snapping jaws below. Law wanted to groan. If he wanted to keep Luffy from being wolf food, the devil fruit user had to be careful. He had to save Luffy the moment he used his power.

" **Room.** " A light blue dome expanded out. Sweat began to trail down his forehead from making such a large field. Without wasting anymore time, Law **Shambled** Luffy for the wolves. Their bodies smacked into the earth with a dull thud, falling around the shocked D. That would only stun them for a moment. _One more time_ … Luffy once more blinked away, this time to the teen's side. Law grabbed the six-year-old's hand and began to run.

"Torao?"

"Quit talking and run faster!"

The two managed just barely to lose the ravenous wolves. They burst from the forest's edge just as the sun nearly set under the horizon. Both boys huffed. Law turned to Luffy.

"What were you thinking? Makino-ya told us to stay away from this part of the forest if Garp-ya is not with us. You would have ended up digesting in those wolves' stomach in several little pieces," scolded the older boy.

 _*Sniff, sniff. Tremble, quiver*_

Joy. More tears.

"I-I-…I thought you would want that."

…Did Law hear that right? Granted, Law did lose his temper, but he did not want the kid to die, just to leave him alon… _oh…_

"If I die, then you won't have me to annoy you all the time."

Law pinched the bridge of his nose. He once more cursed the bastard marine for leaving him with a sensitive six-year-old child.

"And what would Makino-ya, Mayor-ya, and Garp-ya think?"

Luffy's lower lip trembled. "…I hate this."

Law drew a blank, "Hate…hate what?"

"This!" cried Luffy with his arms gesturing around. "I don't have any friends. The other children say I'm stupid or weird or annoying. Everyone who does like me is an adult. I'm alone. I only wanted to have someone my own age, maybe even an own older brother who would like me."

Law wasn't imagining it. Guilt sat in his chest like a stone. _What would Cora-san think of you, yelling at a little boy. One not much younger than Lami,_ whispered that traitorous voice of the conscience he thought he buried years ago.

Law thought hard. Neither boy had much of a childhood. Law's ended in blood and fire when he was only ten. Losing his entire family left a hollow in his heart, a void where hate and a disregard for his own pathetic life grew. And Luffy already felt like this at age six. Like he wanted to die. And he nearly did.

He did something very uncharacteristic of himself, something he would deny to his dying day. Thirteen-year-old Trafalgar Law gathered the little boy in his arms and held him close.

* * *

Days passed. Things didn't exactly change overnight. But change they did. Slowly, Law learned to tolerate the younger boy. And Luffy learned to restrain himself a bit more. He stayed quiet and found things to preoccupy his attention when Law wanted quiet for a few minutes.

One night, the anniversary of his sister and parents' death, in fragmented pieces Law told Luffy of the tragedy of Flevance, of the disease still painting several small white patches across his body. Eventually, he would tell Luffy of his time with the Donquixote Pirates and Cora-san. But first came the newest arrivals to Dawn Island.


	2. Crossroads of Fate

Crossroads of Fate

* * *

"Dialogue"

 _Thoughts_

 **Attacks**

 _*Sounds*_

/ Flashbacks /

\- Significant Temporal/Spatial Changes -

Narration, messages, etc.

* * *

\- Makino's Party Bar; Foosha Village, Dawn Island, East Blue –

* * *

"Pirates!"

Luffy rushed out of Makino's Party Bar. Or rather, he _almost_ did. Someone grabbed the back of his shirt collar and lifted him off the ground.

"Normally, if someone cries "pirate" you should not go and rush out, Luffy-ya."

Luffy pouted. "No fair, Torao!"

The nearly fourteen-year-old sighed, "For the last time, my name is Trafalgar Law."

"Okay, Law-niisan."

"Why do I even bother? Just Law would work, Luffy-ya."

"Stingy," muttered the six-year old under his breath. Law still heard it perfectly well and sighed. Was being an older brother always so hard?

The past few weeks has seen remarkable improvement in the devil fruit eater's health. Only a few white splotches remained under his bright yellow sweatshirt. The phantom pains had ceased entirely a few days ago. Law was quickly recovering muscle mass and weight loss from his illness. He was still rather thin but it more a typical leanness he shared with Luffy.

His relationship with Luffy had changed a lot since the forest and wolf incident. He still would sever Luffy's head on the occasion the boy wouldn't stop babbling nonsense, but it was more of a gesture of exasperation, usually corrected after a few minutes of moaning from the six-year-old. At least Luffy would cooperate when Law needed a guinea pig for some of his more harmless experiments.

The older boy finally had come to regard Luffy as a brother of sorts. An annoying, attention deficient and hyperactive one, but a younger sibling nevertheless. Luffy wouldn't fill the gap left behind by Lami (and no one ever would), but the sunny and fun-loving boy had made his own niche in Law's normally cold heart. Despite Law's misgiving (his goals weren't exactly healthy for innocents caught in the crossfire between him and Doflamingo), Law would do his best to protect Luffy, and for as long as he dared.

Speaking of dangers…

Instinct flared. Law quickly back away from the doors as a tall, red-haired man strolled through, followed by over a dozen others. Pirates. And not just any pirates, no, Law recognized the one wearing the straw hat well from his bounty posters. 'Red-Haired' Shanks. One of the biggest names in the Grand Line. _What would a bigshot like him want in a tiny little village in the weakest of seas?!_ Law quickly dropped Luffy and pushed the youth behind him.

"Man, what a voyage! Some nice villagers said this would be the place to get some quality rum," genially asked the infamous pirate captain with a smile.

Makino, although a bit taken aback by the sudden entrance of the rowdy group, quickly confirmed the statement, and alcohol soon freely flowed.

Shanks loved nothing more than a good party and fun. Although, he could do without the prickling at the back of his neck. Tilting his chair onto its back legs, he dropped his head and met a bemused pair of yellow eyes. Quite a contrast to the wariness and edge of hostility detected by the young captain's Kenbunshoku Haki. The child was maybe no more than thirteen, fifteen at a stretch. He wore a north-styled white fur hat with scattered brown spots. The same sort of spots decorated his blue shorts. Red-Hair raised a brow as another raven peeked behind the lanky teenager.

"Yo, brats. Didn't see you there."

The teen smirked, eyes calculating. The dark bruise-like markings around his eyes only made his smile all the more disconcerting. "Hello, Red-Hair-ya. What brings a high profiled pirate to this quiet corner of the Blues?" Polite words hardly covered the mocking tone. The kid was a damn good actor. But acting wouldn't fool haki. The child knew his dangerous reputation and put up a good front, but he held a healthy dose of fear in him. The other one, though…

" _Shishishi!_ Hi! I'm Luffy!" giggled the little guy. Shanks smiled. Kid was innocent as innocent could be.

"So, you guys are pirates? Neat! Oooh, I bet you guys went on all sorts of adventures."

Shanks couldn't help but laugh. "Some? Kid, take a seat. Me and my crew have more stories than what you two can hear over even a course of a year."

Little Luffy dragged the older boy to a pair of stools and listened in rapture as Shanks, Benn Beckman, and the rest of the Red Hair Pirates wove stories of treasure, high sea battles, and danger at every turn. Even the older one (Law, he remembered Luffy saying) began to relax as the day progressed into night. Shanks grinned widely as the little boy began to nod off sometime around ten. In a well-practiced move, the older boy scooped up the younger child.

"Thank you for entertaining us. Good night, Red Hair."

* * *

The boys and pirates met up again the next morning. And again for several days after the pirates first barged into Makino's Party Bar.

'Red-Haired' Shanks really liked the two boys. Luffy loved to get into trouble all the time, but Law would pull the younger child back just in time, or he would be right there, bailing Luffy out his latest mess either through his cunning or his devil fruit power. Kind of reminded the young captain another pair of men who constantly backed each other up at high tide and low.

"Law," whined the smaller raven, "Why not? I'm going to learn how to swim!"

"Not without someone to watch you, Luffy-ya," bluntly stated Law with no room for negotiations. "I can't sure as hell come and save you if you start drowning – again – so wait for Mayor-ya, Makino-ya, or one of the Red Hair Pirates to come and keep an eye on you."

Luffy griped about not being a baby needing to be watched. The older child just blankly stared the other down, eyes uncompromising.

 _Yep, definitely reminds me of those two._ Shanks chuckled, knocked back another cup of rum, and walked over to see about teaching the little anchor how to swim. The teen might appreciate some lessons in fighting, too. Roger knew what kind of trouble the six-year-old would get into in the next few years. _Speaking of time, I think we'll stick around this area for a while. We have time before we head back out to the New World. And these two brats sure are an interesting pair._

* * *

\- One year later –

* * *

/ "I'll prove to all of you I can be just as strong and brave as any pirate!"

Shanks and the crew eyed the little squirt with a _knife_ of all things with a nervous sort of bemusement.

"Whoa, Anchor! What are you trying to prove?" tried to soothe Shanks to little effect.

"Watch! This is the depth of my determination!" And without hesitation, little Luffy slashed his face just under his left eye. /

Bringing the story back to Makino's Party Bar where a very irritated Law tended to Luffy's latest injury.

"Red-Hair-ya, why is it I leave to get some herbs for a few hours, and I come back to this? Luffy-ya, what compelled you to do something so stupid? Any higher and you could have lost your eye!" berated the fourteen-year-old as he put in the final stitches.

Shanks eyed the neat bit of stitch work with appreciation. "Not a bad job. Thinking of becoming a doctor, Law? Quite a handy profession what with the Ope Ope no Mi."

"I am studying to be one, yes," answered the boy distractedly as Luffy tried to leap off the table.

"Wow, look at that!" exclaimed Lucky Roo over a bite of chicken. "Going to be an impressive scar for sure!"

"And something tells me it won't be his last one," deadpanned Law as the two boys and pirate captain reentered the bar.

Another Red Hair pirate chuckled and raised up his glass. "A toast to our Luffy for his sheer gutsiness. And for Law-kun who has to deal with it!"

Shanks grabbed up his own mug and raised it in acknowledgement of the last part at least. Shanks could feel the dagger glare searing into his skull from the older boy but pretended ignorance. The two ravens were quite adorable on top of interesting. The other pirates cheered and grabbed up the food and grog.

"Didn't even sting!" declared Luffy with tears in his eyes.

"You liar!" reprimanded Shanks. "Don't go doing compulsive things like that!"

Luffy ignored Shanks and continued. "See? I'm not afraid of getting hurt at all, so take me on your next voyage! I wanna be a pirate just like you, Shanks!"

Law's eyebrow twitched. He leaned over and smacked the back of Luffy's head.

"Don't be ridiculous, Luffy-ya! You're too small and weak right now to become a pirate. Who heard of a six-year-old professional pirate?" scolded Law. _Although technically, Dellinger started even younger than that. Not that I'll remind him._ "Even I only started out when I was ten."

Red Hair tilted his head. "Wait, you were a pirate? And that young?"

Law warily nodded, uncomfortable with the full attention of the pirates in the bar. "Still am as far as I am concerned.

"Hmm, I can see that," hummed Benn Beckman. "Law has a level of maturity beyond his age. Roger's knows he has plenty of skill to back it up."

"Anyways," continued Shanks, "you, Luffy, will definitely not become a pirate. You do realize why we all call you "Anchor," right? It's because you can't swim – you sink like a stone in the water every time."

"But Law can't swim, either!"

"Law's an exception," replied Shanks with a cheeky grin. The pirate captain glance over at said teenager. Some of the tension left Law as he smirked with his usual creepy-assed smile.

"Red Hair-ya is right. You fall in, and you might as well be sea king food."

"Then I won't fall overboard!" declared Luffy with his typical Luffy-logic. "And I'm totally a strong fighter. I've been training just like you Law-niisan! I have a punch as strong as a pistol!"

"Right…" mocked Law.

"A pistol, huh…" said Shanks with an exaggerated eye roll.

Luffy exploded. "Quit making fun of me!"

"Lighten up, Luffy!" called out one of the pirates. More called out about the life of a pirate (granted, the better part of it).

Law and Shanks agreed on this: the idiots should stop encouraging Luffy's recklessness.

And when one said they should bring Luffy along next time: "Only if one of you stay behind."

… "Sorry, Luffy!"

Law sweat dropped as the pirates immediately denied the possibility and went back to partying.

"Just drink you milk, Luffy-ya," said Law, shoving a glass into Luffy's hands. The little boy calmed down and took a long drink.

" _Dahahaha!_ " laughed Shanks. "What kind of pirate drinks milk?"

"Law!" protested Luffy.

"You're seven. Drink your milk, brat, unless you want to suffer from osteoporosis like these puerile morons."

"Osteo-whatits?"

"Brittle bones."

"Ooooh... It's a mystery sickness!"

 _Why did I even bother?_ "Yes, Luffy-ya."

"If Luffy should drink plenty of milk for strong bones, then Law-kun should eat lots of wholesome bread!" joked Shanks.

"I don't like bread," reminded Law with a frown.

The pirates, Luffy, and Law returned to eating and drinking after several more minutes of roundabout arguing with the stubborn seven-year-old.

* _THUMP*!_

A shadowy group of men entered the bar. The sounds of merriment stilled. Judging by their cocky grins, a bunch of wannabee troublemakers had entered. Law quietly fingered the knife tucked into his sleeve, sizing up the men. No one worth his time, at least.

Higuma and his mountain bandits just tried to stir up trouble and made a mess, but neither Law nor Red Hair would lower themselves to deal with an insect like him.

No one else cared either. The pirates went back to laughing and mocked their soaked captain in good cheer. Well, no one except a certain short-tempered little boy.

"What the hell, Shanks? How could you let a no good bandit make fun of you? Sure, there were a lot of people, but a true man wouldn't take this lying down! They degraded you, laughed at you, and spilled beer on top of you! You tar-mish the reputation of pirates everywhere!"

"TAR-nish," corrected Law.

"Wow, you must be listening to Law-kun to learn such big words." Shanks waved off Luffy's anger. "Kid, life's more than about worrying about what others think of you. You'll learn that when your older. Take a look at Law-kun. He-"

"Don't pull me into this, Red Hair-ya," interrupted said teen.

"- isn't mad about this. You should follow your older brother's example. Beer's not too big of an issue if it's spilled on you. Getting even for a petty reason isn't what a man does."

Luffy huffed and made a move to storm off. Shanks grabbed his arm.

"Hey, hey, where are you going, Anchor?"

"To find better role models!" _That kind of stings, Luffy-ya_ thought Law with a mental sigh.

Then Luffy's arm stretched.

 _!?_

"What?!" "Did his arm just…?" "Luffy!" "Do you think he…?"

"AAaaah!" screamed Luffy. "What's wrong with me?!"

Law rubbed the sides of his head. _This is shaping up to be another migraine._ Lucky Roo gaped at an empty chest and pulled out a drawing of a purple fruit with swirls Law remembered seeing sitting in that…chest…that was on the bar by Luffy…

"Luffy-ya, what did I tell you about eating strange food?"

"To…double-check with you because it could taste bad? It really did, too!"

Law clicked his tongue and corrected the boy, "No. I told you to ask me first because it could be dangerous or poisonous. And I imagine the devil fruit you ate tasted as bad as the one _I_ ate. What fruit was it?"

"A Paramecia like yours, Law. The Gomu Gomu no Mi," answered Shanks. "Luffy," groaned the pirate captain, "do you know what you did? The Gomu Gomu is one of the treasures of the sea. Like Law, you have become a devil fruit eater. It'll make your body like rubber, but you'll be cursed to never swim for the rest of your life!"

 _Rubber?_ Law pulled his hat down in annoyance. Figures with the stretching bit.

"What? NOOOOO!"

"You damned careless black hole," muttered Law from under the wooly brim of his headgear.

* * *

\- Some time after the Red Hair Pirates left –

* * *

"I'm proud to be a rubber man!" announced Luffy to the villagers. "Look at what I can do!"

Luffy stretched his cheeks out. "Neat, huh?"

"Hmph!" disparaged Mayor Woop Slap. "Think being a freak is all fun and games? We don't need more recklessness from you, young man!"

"But Law-niisan is a devil fruit eater, too!" reminded Luffy.

Law smirked from where he leaned against a wall. "Yeah, Mayor-ya, I ate a devil fruit as well."

"Yes, well, Law-kun you've always been a strange one. Don't think I'm totally blind, you little punk. I've seen what you been doing to those poor animals in the forest!"

Law shrugged; it was the truth, after all. He needed something to practice his less than safe techniques other than Luffy. In addition to some practical surgical experience.

"I might be a hammer like Law now, but I'll just stay on my feet and become a great pirate. If Law can do it, so can I!"

"I'm not letting you become a pirate! Or let Law return to such a life!" snapped the old man. "The village will look bad if you two go and terrorize the seas. Red Hair and his lot may be okay, but the other pirates? You two better stay away from them! Why won't either of you listen to Garp-san and become marines like he wants you to be?"

Luffy didn't hear half of the stuff the mayor spouted due to his finger lodged into both ears. Law just gave the mayor a smile and asked if his blood pressure was spiking again. The old man grumbled some more about "bullheaded and cheeky brats" before hobbling away.

Once the old man disappeared from sight, Law turned to his little brother. "Luffy-ya, I'm off to gather some herbs from the forest. Please stay with Makino-ya and don't get into trouble like the last time I left. I rather not have to retrieve my medical bag today."

Law should have known better. Every time he had left the rubber-addled boy by himself for more than an hour or two, Luffy would invariably worm his way into trouble. Even taking his eye off him for a few minutes ended up adding another hammer to Foosha Village.

While he was gone, those damn mountain bandits from the other day returned. The rubber-brained numbskull went and picked a fight with them! Luffy didn't have enough strength or balance to steady himself, so he would end up throwing a rubber punch that rebounded back onto him. His rubber abilities gave him good range, and the kid could take blunt attacks with impunity, but a sharp enough object would still make him bleed. Law's own fruit abilities were still too new. He couldn't make his **Room** large enough to intervene before the sword came down on Luffy's rubber neck. If they came out of this alive, Law was going to seriously consider severing Luffy's legs, so he won't go looking for trouble while Law was gone.

Maybe Luffy's life was charmed. It certainly would explain the timing of the Red Hair Pirates' arrival. Benn Beckman alone neutralized most of the bandits except for Higuma and the one shot by Lucky Roo. But then the dirty bastard went and threw a smoke bomb.

"Luffy!"

The Red Hair Pirates scattered out to find Higuma and Luffy. If Law got a hold of the cowardly bandit... Well, he _was_ a former member of the Donquixote Pirates, and Luffy as a little brother only helped to _bury_ his less than socially acceptable behavior, not get rid of.

They found them. Or rather, the sea king, the Lord of the Coast found the drowning Luffy and the miserable bandit leader. Shanks saved Luffy but at the cost of an arm. If the sea king didn't _eat_ it, Law probably could have reattached it but as it was, Red Hair would have to learn to fight one-handed. On a brighter note, the missing limb gave Law the rare opportunity to operate on a living person (consensually).

* * *

\- Some days later -

* * *

"So you guys won't return this time?"

The Red Hair Pirates gathered at the docks, preparing their ship for their imminent departure. Luffy and Law came to see them off.

"I guess it had been about a year since you first came here," noted Law.

Shanks nodded. "Yep! We used this harbor for our base of operations for a long time now. Maybe a bit too long. But it's time we return to our adventures. You guys going to miss us?"

Law snorted. "A one-armed captain like you, Red Hair-ya? I think one long-term headache is enough for any island."

Luffy, however, nodded. "Uh-huh. I'm sure Law is just saying things to make it _look_ like he doesn't care. But don't worry! I won't ask to join you guys anymore."

"Oh? What prompted this change in attitude, Anchor?"

Luffy puffed up his chest and avowed, "I'll be a great pirate by myself! Someone who will be acknowledged even by you!"

"Doubt a little guy like you will," teased Shanks with his tongue sticking out. "You're still way too weak to become a pirate."

"I _will_ become one of the best pirates in the world!" denied Luffy. "I'll get a crew and ship better than yours, and we'll have the greatest treasure hoard of all the seas, of the entire world! I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"

* _Blink, blink*_ This wasn't totally unexpected. Law knew Luffy would have spouted some sort of ridiculous and outlandish thing when Shanks finally left, but One Piece? Yet, Luffy looked completely and utterly serious. Similar thoughts must have been running through Red Hair's head, too.

The man kneeled slightly and plopped his treasured straw hat on Luffy's messy black head.

"A better ship and crew? And Pirate King? Well, the Pirate King would have to start from somewhere. Here. Do me a favor…take good care of this hat for me, will you?" Shanks smiled softly down at his young friend, both young friends really. "This hat means a lot to me. It will symbolize our promise, okay? Promise to return someday…the day you make good on that vow to become a great pirate." Shanks winked and gestured over to Law. "Plus, what kind of great pirate doesn't have a hat?"

"Quite a few. You, for example, now that Luffy has yours."

Shanks shook his head at the yellow-eyed child in mock annoyance. His face then grew serious. "Law-kun, have you thought any further on my proposal?"

Predictably, the teen smirked. "Thank you, Red Hair-ya, but I don't take orders from others."

Shanks nodded in understanding. "Then the only thing I have to say is take good care of your little brother there. He's a handful, especially if he's going to be the future Pirate King and all. Keep practicing your abilities, both of you, and I expect to hear your names scattered across the newspapers one day."

As the crew shoved off, Red Hair spared Dawn Island and her two young charges one last glance. Luffy waved enthusiastically, half hanging off of Law who smiled while looking long-suffering. _Whatever those two do in the future, I'm sure they'll make the entire world acknowledge them._ Another memory overlaid the scene: of a dark haired captain and his more contained first mate waving good bye for the last time. Two men who were brothers in all but blood. Two men who sent the entire world reeling at the end.


	3. Forged in Loneliness and Pain

Forged in Loneliness and Pain

* * *

A/N: Thanks to my first reviewers SEllen23, AmeYuuki, ABCDEFWhee, Rin-s666, Dutchess-Of-Dirt, Bluejay Blaze, lostdog200, Kazukimi, sarge1130, and piratesmurf for the great reviews. Glad you think so highly of my story so far.

To answer Kazukimi…hmm, I probably will put up a poll sometime in the next few days and let the readers decide on the fate of the members of LASL. Options I'm considering include:

Sabo stays with Whitebeard Pirates / he joins Revolutionaries

Law becomes Luffy's co-captain / he becomes Luffy's first mate

Law develops Haoshoku Haki / he does not

Some other option (post reviews, please).

I'll give one vote per set on a single poll. Please choose only _one_ option each. Once I finish the second part, I'll have another poll for Straw Hat crewmates - canon or non-canon, devise a way to include members of the Heart Pirates, etc.

Law and Ace's personalities at age ten do parallel one another quite a bit. I hope to capture a bit of Law's secret empathy in this chapter. Hope it will meet your expectations.

Remember, read, follow, vote, and review. Thanks for all your input :)

* * *

"Dialogue"

 _Thoughts_

 **Attacks**

 _*Sounds*_

/ Flashbacks /

\- Significant Temporal/Spatial Changes -

Narration, messages, etc.

* * *

\- Dadan's Country, Mt. Colubo, Dawn Island, East Blue –

* * *

"Grampa! Leggo! I'm going to be the Pirate King no matter what!" whined Luffy as Garp hefted the rubber boy by his lip in one hand and carried the fourteen-year-old Law under his other arm.

"Garp-ya, put me down!" protested the disgruntled teen. How humiliating! Law was _fourteen_! Twice the age of Luffy, but Garp easily overpowered both devil fruit users after he found out about their year with the Red Hair Pirates. He wasn't all too pleased to hear about Luffy's new abilities either.

"I'm _already_ a pirate. You can't change that, and I doubt any of your superiors or peers would, either," argued Law. "And where in the Blues are you taking us? Is this another jungle survival exercise?" Law shuddered briefly. Garp actually put him in sea prism stone a few days prior so he could "get used to the effects of the sea". He wasn't completely useless, but the two D's barely survived those three days. Thank Roger the idiotic marine didn't shackle Luffy.

A tick mark was all their warning before Garp collided their heads together. Law glowered as he rubbed his head where Luffy's banged into it. It was lucky Luffy's skull was a bit rubbery, and Law was used to taking concussion-inducing cracks to the skull.

"Law, I told you to call me Grandpa! If you're going to call Luffy your brother then that makes me your grandpa, too. And what's this about "Pirate King?" Like hell I'll let you squirts go and cause havoc as no good pirates. Now _both_ of you are devil fruit eaters, and the damned red-haired bastard got you guys talking nonsense. As for where we'll be going, _you two_ are going to stay with some associates of mine. You'll also get to meet Ace."

"Ace?" Both boys paused in their struggles.

"Yes. Portgas D. Ace who will be your older and younger brother. Together, the three of you will become the strongest of marines!"

Luffy hissed in pain as Garp readjusted his hold. "Damn it, why does this hurt? I'm made of rubber!"

The young doctor raised an eyebrow in the wake of this new piece of information. Over his time among the Donquixote Pirates, he witnessed them handle Logia users and devil fruit users with unusual body-types with impunity, but he left before he could find out how. _Perhaps this is a special ability known by the vice-admirals? Would make sense for the marines to train their top officers in a way to counter devil fruit powers without having to resort to rare sea prism stone or losing their own ability to swim._

Garp continued on to say, "This is my fault. Foosha was obviously too gentle of a place to leave future marines to grow."

They arrived to a wooden fort near the top of Mount Colubo. Law glared at Garp's back once the old marine put both boys down.

"Dadan! Get your ass out here!" Law could hear cursing from within the building. Then, a large red-haired woman, a muscular man with chicken-styled hair, and a short man in a turban walked out.

"Honestly, Garp-san! Please take this monster back already! It's been ten years since you dumped Ace on us. What do you want us to do when he hits puberty? He'll be too much of a menace for us to control! He's already pushing us as it- wait, who are the bra- no. Nononono!"

"Dadan, meet my grandsons Trafalgar Law and Monkey D. Luffy. You'll be watching over them, too. I'm sure Law will help you keep an eye on Ace and Luffy. He's already fourteen, so you don't have to worry yourselves about him as much as the younger brats," introduced Garp, bellowing laughter following the last statement. "Law, Luffy, meet Curly Dadan and her gang of mountain bandits.

Law gave the bandits his most sadistic grin.

Dadan paled. _Another hard case?!_ "Nononono! Ace is way too much trouble, two more is too much! And fourteen? He's a freaking teenager! Do know how much of a menace teenagers are? I, mean, he's practically grown already!"

" _Bwahahahaha!_ You don't have to watch over them Dadan," Dadan sighed in relief, "because you can always choose to go to jail." And she immediately blanched. "I've done you lot a favor after all these years. You've bandits committed as many crimes as stars in the sky."

"Maybe a prison cell would be better," muttered Curly Dadan. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"They're both devil fruit eaters, so don't let them drown in the river or ocean." Dadan wanted to cry. She knew those two kids of Garp's had to be real monsters like Ace!

From the corner of his eye, Trafalgar Law watched his younger brother Luffy walked over toward the forest edge.

* _Spit. Plop*_

Law raised an eyebrow when a glob of white spit landed on Luffy's face.

"Ewww, it's spit! Who did that?!"

The seven-year-old wiped it off, and both boys turned to the origin of the offending spittle.

A huge buffalo carcass laid on its side, and a freckled boy a little older than Luffy scowled from on top of it. He wore an orange tank top and black shorts, held a bloodied pipe of all things, and had some sort of head wound.

"Portgas D. Ace-ya, I presume?"

"Ace!" chuckled Garp.

"Oi, so the angry brat finally returned."

"That's Ace," stated Garp, slapping the back of Luffy and Law's head. "He's three years older than you, making him four years Law's junior. You three will be brothers from here on out, so try and get along!"

 _Does he really think that?_ thought Law, sweat dropping as Luffy threw a hostile look at the glowering D. That look on Ace's face was familiar. After all, Law wore such a face only a little under two years ago. A shadow of the grief and anger which fueled a lone boy to throw his lot in with pirates, to risk his very life so he could see the world who abandoned his people to burn. _What could have marked this guy's heart so hollow?_ Law contemplated. Outwardly, the teenager shot Ace a careless grin and grabbed Luffy before he could try anything.

Lunch at the bandit hideout was barely edible at best. Rice and water would not be nearly enough for a healthy diet of a _normal_ person, much less suffice for a D's seemingly bottomless stomach. The two newcomers would have to put their survival abilities and Law's medical knowledge to best use if they wanted enough food for the coming years. Law once more thanked his genetics for skipping out on this trait shared by the other two – no, three counting Ace – D's he met so far.

And apparently, Law would need his skills as a doctor sooner than later. Luffy's attempt to befriend the churlish ten-year-old met with a very large tree trunk sent rolling right at them!

" **Room."** The log was just behind the fleeing children. **"Shambles."** Law sent them just on the other side of the rolling log.

"Damned kid," groused Law as he helped Luffy up. The minute Luffy regained his footing, the kid ran off after Ace!

"Oi, Luffy-ya! Where are you going?!"

Ace confronted the two boys at the rope bridge. Then, without a word, the angry raven launched himself at them, knocking them off with his bloodied pipe. The attack caught Law off guard, and he couldn't respond in time to teleport them back up. The boys hurled straight into the ravine.

Portgas D. Ace watched emotionlessly, as they seemingly disappeared into the dark depths below.

* * *

He returned to Dadan's by sunset without the older and younger boys.

"Ace…where did the others go? Didn't they follow after you?" inquired Dogra.

…

A tick mark developed on Dadan's head.

"Oi, brat, fess up already! Do you know where Luffy and Law went?"

"Like I care," darkly answered the boy. Why should he care about some more weaklings? _No one but three people cared about me. One died because of me. One is almost never here. And the other I'll defend with my life._ Everyone else was fair game. Including Dadan and her family of bandits whom lived in fear of the world finding out about his whereabouts and only took care of him on Garp's urging.

* * *

\- Three days later –

* * *

One night, only a few days after the two disappeared, Luffy and Law stumbled back into the bandit base. Both had various cuts and bruises and bandages.

"Dadan! Luffy and Law are back!"

"What? Where were you brats?" The family matron turned on her heel and examined the wearied boys. Faintly dirt-stained bandages wound around their torso and heads. "You two look like hell. I'm surprise you survived. Midway Forest and Mount Colubo are full of dangerous and monstrously large beasts!"

"Hard not to notice, Dadan-ya" drawled the older boy as he flipped a small kitchen knife into his hand. "Luffy-ya's made of rubber, so hitting him doesn't usually work. He made a good cushion, at least. My own devil fruit powers let me cut apart whatever I want even with this little knife."

"Oi, brats, answer me!"

Law rolled his eyes, but Luffy readily responded, "At the bottom of the valley. Some giant wolves chased us around. It took us forever to find a way back up."

"I would hate to imagine Luffy-ya down there alone. Luckily I was there, and I still had my medical bag. I'm a doctor, so I tended to these injuries myself."

"Those bandages are well applied," commented the turban-wearer.

Curly Dadan shook her head in exasperation. "Whatever. Go to bed, you two have a lot of work in the morning!"

Luffy collapsed on the simple mat. Law eyed the other young boy in the room, but lowered himself onto the other bedding. He probably wouldn't fall asleep for a while – consequence of his insomnia – but he probably would need the rest, at least. His logic warned him Luffy would all too soon add more injuries on top of the ones he had. And, it wouldn't be paranoid of him to keep one eye on the curly-haired raven. Ace had made it very plain of his feelings toward the two boys entering into his life if the attempt at their lives didn't speak it clearly enough. _Or did it,_ mused the dark doctor as he laid on his back, listening to Luffy's snores.

* * *

\- Three months passed –

\- Midway Forest and Gray Terminal -

* * *

Eight days. Ten more days. Three months passed. Every day, Luffy would spring out of bed and chase after Ace. The stubborn straw hat ignored every word of caution until Law gave up and just made sure to get up earlier to hunt down some medical herbs and plants. They nearly drowned in the river, almost got eaten by wild animals, and barely escaped the rocks Ace sent tumbling down on them.

At best, Law's devil fruit powers increased in range and speed. He didn't have much choice in the matter if he wanted the two to survive with minimum injury. As it was, the bandits commonly saw Luffy or Law sporting a new bandage each day.

Finally, the two managed to track Ace to the very edge of the forest. A landfill farther and taller than either boy could see across dominated the landscape.

Luffy scrunched his nose in distaste. "Yech! What's with the smell? And where are we?"

"Some sort of waste disposal area. Spider Miles, an island back in North Blue, was a lot like this." Many muck-stained and sorry-looking people roamed the filth.

"Luffy-ya, you better stick cl-" Law turned around, but his companion had already disappeared. … _Not again_ Law silently cursed. Then curse aloud for good measure.

* * *

\- Sunset -

* * *

Hours passed without sign of Luffy. Law returned to Midway Forest on the off chance Luffy headed back to Dadan's. Or went to look for food. In the distance, the dark-haired teen heard voices. Young voices.

"ACE!" A boy in a blue-tailed coat and a top hat with goggles of all things darted into the clearing below where the other boy stood.

"Sabo! So, are those bastards still looking for us? Did they find our old stash hideout?"

 _*Pant, pant*._ "No, not at all. None of the Bluejam Pirates know where we keep our loot because… _*pant, pant*…_ LUFFY HASN'T TOLD THEM, YET!"

* _Thunk*!_

A small knife lodged itself into the tree roots beside Ace. The blonde and raven started.

"Come again, Top Hat-ya? What happened to Luffy-ya? What's with the fresh set of bruises, too. You should know I do have another knife."

Sabo eyed the tall raven who walked into the clearing with apprehension. Dark bruise-like splotches from lack of sleep deeply marked his eyes, and he wore an odd white and dark brown spotted fur hat.

"Careful, Sabo. Trafalgar has weird powers like Luffy. I saw him cut a rolling boulder with that knife of his without even touching it!"

"Maybe you shouldn't send rocks tumbling down all the time." Ace shot Law a simmering glare. Law smirked in return.

Sabo stayed silent for a few more moments. "Ace, enough. If Law could do what you said he could do, then we would be in trouble no matter what. Trafalgar Law, I think the three of us can agree on what to do about Luffy."

* * *

\- Pirate Cove –

* * *

 _Damn bullheaded runt!_ Porchemy had constantly bashed the little freak until bloody and half-conscious. But the kid wouldn't squeal on those two other punks. One of his men even had the gall to try and defend the tight-lipped brat!

The sun had set, and time had run out on finding their treasure in time. Porchemy aimed a disdainful glare at the little runt. He reached over and unsheathed a cold steel blade.

"Fine! If you want to be a stubborn bastard, then better a dead one, too!"

 _*Crash*!_

The wall burst open. Ace and Sabo charged in with their pipes. The two held off the Bluejam Pirates while Law strolled in to where Luffy hung. A single slash with his knife freed him from the bindings. Cold rage surged as the young doctor scanned over the vast array of new injuries. Law set Luffy against the far wall opposite to the gaping hole. He turned to the raging man identified as Porchemy.

" **Room."** Blue light encompassed the entire shack. The dark side of Law's inner conscious slowly gazed out from pitiless yellow eyes.

Bluejam headed to Porchemy's location. The sight greeting him was something out of a horror film: body parts laid everywhere with hardly enough or any blood around the cleanly severed pieces. Except for the thoroughly bloodied Porchemy. The pirate captain peered at the bruised and bloodied head. Suddenly, its eyes opened up.

"Sorry, Captain Bluejam…" The other pirates jumped.

"What the devil?!" shouted Captain Bluejam. "How are you alive like that?"

"Devil…fruit users. Two of them. A rubbery one, and one who…who could cut people from afar without injury," grunted the fallen pirate.

"Without injury, huh?" sneered Bluejam.

"The two other brats' fault. Well, the devil fruit user did have a mean punch…Those three came to rescue the rubber brat I had. The two non-devil fruit eaters originally stole the money. They overwhelmed us under a few minutes."

Bluejam nodded in consideration. Then he pulled out a pistol. "Devil fruit eaters? Rare in these seas. No matter." "Wait! Don-" * _Shot*!_ "I cannot have someone on my crew whom some four brats took down without much of a fight."

* * *

\- Midway Forest –

* * *

"Hold still. Thank you, Top Hat-ya for the assistance."

With Sabo's help, the teenage doctor spread some stinging antiseptics across Luffy's many wounds before wrapping him up like a mummy. The other three boys sported various minor injuries. Luffy's attempt at not blubbering worked as well as when he tried to lie.

"You know Ace, you shouldn't say "I'm not gonna run" when we're facing actual pirates," admonished the blue coated boy.

Law snorted.

Sabo glared. "Have something to say, Trafalgar?"

"Those weaklings hardly ranked above mountain bandits in terms of skill or power. True pirates would regard them no more than you or I the bug crawling on the ground."

"Hmph," huffed the goggle and top hat wearer. "Not everyone has powers like you or Luffy. We need to rely on our own strength and guts." Sabo sighed. He only met the guy a few hours ago, and Sabo knew that smirk meant Law had nothing good on his mind. "Fine. Anyways, Ace, you should be more careful! Do you truly want to end your life so poorly? Or at all? Ace?"

Said boy didn't say a word. Years with Cora-san had taught Law to understand the different types of silence. And the lack of response was answer on its own. _Interesting, Ace really is more like the person I used to be at his age._

Sabo drew a similar conclusion as Law as blonde let his head fall back against the rocky earth wall.

"…you know we won't be able to make amends with the Bluejam Pirates after this. We'll need to watch our backs from here on out."

"Who says you haven't already been doing that? I've only seen Gray Terminal today, but I would hardly ever turn my back there," noted Law.

Luffy sniffed and sobbed, "That was so scary! I really thought I would die there…"

"Will you shut up! Stop blubbering, you crybaby! Weaklings and babies, I really hate them both!" _Well, isn't that a familiar phrase?_

Luffy stopped crying. He bowed his head. "Thank you…for saving me… _*sniff*…_

"Oi! What did I say?!"

"Ace! Knock it off, he's just saying thank you!"

"Portgas-ya." To emphasize his point, Law held up a single hand. A warning to tone it down.

Ace barreled on without sparing the dour teenager a glance.

"Why?"

Luffy blinked incomprehensively with his wide dark eyes.

"Why did you keep quiet about our treasure hoard? Pirates will not hesitate to kill small children and women! You could have died! So, again, why?"

Law leaned in from where he rested. The young pirate had an idea of what drove Luffy to keep silent.

"…Would you have been my friend if I told?"

Ace gaped. And resumed yelling, more in incomprehension than anger. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would you want to be my friend so damn badly? Especially after I deliberately led you two through some of the worse spots in the forest. Trafalgar, I can understand because he's your brother, but you should hate me for trying to kill the two of you!

"So he admits it," said Law to no one in particular.

"You even went so far as to make it to Gray Terminal."

"'CAUSE I HAVE NO ONE ELSE!" Silence.

Sabo and Ace froze as the normally happy or whiny child yelled. Sabo's gaze slid over to the older boy, but Law's face was curiously blank.

"Law and I aren't allowed back in Foosha Village, and I hate bandits. We have Grampa, but he's a marine and really busy. I know I have Law, but he needs space every now and again, and he's seven whole years older. I don't want Law to be burdened with just me as his younger brother."

"Luffy-ya…you aren't a burden."

"But you said so yourself, Law-niisan! I'm weak. You should have a better, stronger brother that doesn't get captured all the time!"

"Luffy, how many times do I have to say it? You're a lot stronger than you look. If you don't believe that yourself, you won't ever become Pirate King. I guess Shanks would be r-"

"I AM GOING TO BE PIRATE KING!"

"-Wrong. I guess you'll prove Shanks wrong after all."

Ace and Sabo exchanged glances the whole time. They had a feeling they were missing something important here. The elder of the two stepped forward and addressed the two.

"…Do either of you feel miserable around me?"

"Only when I have to bandage wounds from your stupid mistakes, but then I did that with all three of you idiots and myself. Not to mention all the times I bandaged Luffy. Aside from that? You aren't a weakling, so no," deadpanned Law while Luffy shook his head in denial.

"…And would you want me to live? Do I deserve to live?"

"…!?...Of course not!" "Is this a trick question? 'Because I just finished bandaging you up. So that would imply I do _not_ intend for your death. Besides, if you were trying your best to kill us, then I hardly see any progress in that direction these past few months. Luffy and I are very much alive. If you simply wanted us dead, poison would have been ideal. Or disabling me from using my devil fruit powers. As a coldhearted killer, you're really poor at it."

"Shut it, Trafalgar," lightly scolded Ace. "… Hmm, I suppose I can stand working with weaklings and creeps like the two of you."

Sabo rubbed his head as the older boys and Luffy began another shouting match.

"Oi, we get it. None of you consider yourselves weak. Or weird. But it doesn't change the problem at hand. None of us can stay in Gray Terminal for long. What are we going to do?"

* * *

\- Dadan's Country, Mt. Colubo –

* * *

Curly Dadan was going to go bald from stress. Pulling on her bright orange curls didn't help matters, but the gesture helped. First she had one monster brat. Then three. Four was pushing it.

"Why are they multiplying?! Ace, Luffy, Law, you better have a good explanation for the new kid!"

"Oh, hello there! You're Dadan, right? I heard a lot about you from Ace. I'm Sabo," greeted the top hatted boy as he took his top hat off and bowed.

"Sabo? I heard that name before… You! You're a real little piece of shit terrorizing the city outskirts and Gray Terminal!"

"And you're Curly Dadan, bandit leader and the biggest bitch on Mount Colubo."

"Why you-!"

"But also a softhearted and kind lady who takes in troublesome boys like Ace, Luffy, Law, and myself."

"Don't you go inviting yourself into my base, you little brat!"


	4. Bonds of Brotherhood

Bonds of Brotherhood

* * *

A/N: First things first, thanks to Dutchess-Of-Dirt, Mel-72000, sarge1130, Natsu Yuuki, Hillinarema, Archangel630, Guest, hawk1989, BlackGryphon101, GreenDrkness, and The Keeper of Worlds for their lovely reviews. And thanks to all readers, followers, and voters for their consideration.

To address a few issues: I have considered all input and have decided to adjust the plot a bit. I planned initially to have a time skip of about seven years, but I think I'll give the brothers two years before they meet the Whitebeard crew in Paradise. This way, I can see how you guys feel about the future of the LASL brothers. This should give us a two-year time gap before Law's 17th birthday and let LASL mature a bit. I'm kind of fond of the idea of keeping some of the LASL brothers together, but I'm open to suggestions on that part of the story. Poll's up, so please vote and tell me how you think about the story.

Honestly, didn't know I was going to finish this chapter until this morning. I have lost a lot of hope in the wisdom of my country's politicians. But, it is what it is, and we'll just have to endure what trials the future will present. But enough with that, let's get onto other things…like brotherhood, fires, and really corrupt people.

* * *

"Dialogue"

 _Thoughts_

 **Attacks**

 _*Sounds*_

/ Flashbacks /

\- Significant Temporal/Spatial Changes -

Narration, messages, etc.

* * *

\- Goa Kingdom, Dawn Island, East Blue –

* * *

The four boys lived, trained, and hunted within the treacherous forests of Mount Colubo. Their skills sharpened under Law's instruction and experience. Eventually, no great beast of those forests could cower them. In the outer districts of the grand Goa Kingdom, they offered choice animal trophies and cheap medical care for money enough for food, books, and other things. Eventually, their infamy spread throughout the gutters and trash heaps and into the outer districts of Goa.

 _*Crash*!_

"Someone catch those kids!"

"Hey, why don't we use Law' **Room**? It would definitely be easier than breaking the window and running off," asked Ace as the four brothers ran out on the bill from yet another eatery.

"Don't you remember?" answered Sabo while they fell onto the awnings of shops. "We don't want too many people to know about Law' abilities. I read about the Ope Ope no Mi in a book once. A lot of people want it for its miraculous healing powers. One even said it could grant immortality. It's considered the ultimate devil fruit by some. A lot of people would try and kidnap him just for a rumor of it."

"Man, I don't envy you, Trafalgar," smirked Ace as the four landed back onto the streets below.

"Hmph."

Law was getting used to these idiotic shenanigans. At first, he balked at the sheer recklessness, but since he couldn't convince the stubborn children to stop short of tying them up, he relented. Plus, he kind of enjoyed pissing off the uppity nobles and folk of the main Goa Kingdom. Goa was East Blue's equivalent of North Blue's Flevance; a pristine city hiding a lot rot in the form of the trash outside its gate. He wouldn't be surprised if the nobles here would abandon their own people like the upper class of the White City.

"Sabo?!"

One of those nobles seemed to recognize Sabo and was calling out to him.

"Wha- Sabo's why is that guy calling out for you? Do you know him?" huffed Ace as the four adolescents dashed away.

Sabo immediately denied such a connection. "N-no way! Maybe he saw how I resembled someone he knew."

"Sabo-ya, he knew your _name_ , which I know for a fact is not very common in such a small kingdom."

"Aargh! Fine, I'll tell you guys. Later. Let just get out of here!"

* * *

\- Midway Forest –

* * *

Sabo might have been one of the sharpest minds of the group, but Law and Ace weren't born yesterday. And all three Ds were more stubborn than even Sabo's dogged parents. After three straight minutes of silent glares, and Ace and Luffy's attempt of physically hassling him for the answer, Sabo finally confessed.

"He's…He's my father. I was born a noble."

…

"Wait, that's your big secret?" gaped Ace.

"You guys were the ones who wanted to know!" shouted an irate Sabo. "I am not an orphan like I've been pretending to be. Both my parents are alive and… and I ran away from home."

Sabo told them the entire sordid affair, from the constant burden of expectations to the disparaging comment from his father on the people in Gray Terminal. He waited for their condemnation.

"So what?"

" "So what?!" Shouldn't you guys be upset? I've been lying to Ace for years, and I lied from the very first day with Luffy and Law. How could any of you forgive me?"

"Because it doesn't matter. Ace-ya is the son of the late Pirate King, no matter how he vehemently denies it. Luffy-ya's dad sounds pretty suspicious, too, considering Garp-ya never did tell us anything about that guy except he couldn't take care of Luffy. And I'm a pirate. A former crew mate to one of the worst crews on the Grand Line. I betrayed them by eating the Ope Ope no Mi and refusing to return. We _all_ have messed up lives. One more won't change who we are to each other."

Luffy nodded his head rapidly up and down and chirped out, "Yeah! Law-niisan is even smarter than Sabo!"

"Ttch, for once, I agree with Law."

"Oh? Then Ace-ya will agree with me to stop looking for trouble all the time?"

"Shut it, Trafalgar," Ace scowled, but then he went back to smiling as he took in the three people he trusted above all else.

Sabo blink backed the stinging threatening his eyes. He grinned wide. "Right! Ace, Luffy, Law, let's promise to not let anyone take our freedom away from us! One day, we'll all set sail from this lousy kingdom and fulfill our dreams!"

"Dreams?" inquired Luffy with a confident smile.

Sabo, Ace, and Law grinned in return.

"Yeah! All four of us will get stronger and becomes true pirates. When I set out to sea, I'll explore every corner of this world, and record my adventures!"

Ace swung his pipe to his side and walked over to the end of the cliff. "You hardly have to tell us that, you walking encyclopedia." Ace faced the sea and declared, "No matter the struggles or curses that dog my path, I'll show them! I'll show the whole world how great a pirate I'll be! My life will have worth only when I earn the kind of glory the Age of Dreams, of Pirates, promises. They can call me demon all they want, but I'll make the whole world acknowledge my strength and existence. I won't lose, and I won't ever run away. I'll have a name of my own that eclipses _his_!"

Law nodded solemnly. "Cora-san gave up his life for mine. I won't ever forget that. And I won't let anyone stop me from fulfilling his will. I will stop _him_ one day, and put Cora-san's spirit to rest. I'll set to sea and become a pirate to rival _his_ power and crew. I'll make sure the bastard will pay for hurting Cora-san and thinking of manipulating me. And I'll pay back twice at much to anyone who would dare mess with you guys."

Ace and Sabo shuddered slightly, not for the first time, at the dark doctor's words. Unconcerned, Luffy simply laughed as he strode forward and proclaimed, " _Shishishi!_ Then… I'll be the Pirate King!"

Law already heard this about a dozen times, but seeing the other two's expressions brought out another smirk from the teen.

"What are you smiling about, Law?" snapped Ace once he noticed the knowing smirk from older boy.

"I figure Luffy would have told you two sooner. I know he wouldn't shut about his dream around me. He even yapped about it after I sliced him out of that alligator stomach the time you nearly dumped our sorry asses into the river."

"Yeah, yeah," dismissed Ace.

"Hmm, well this is a bit of a quandary. We can't all become captains of the crew," considered Sabo.

"Then we'll just become captains of our own crew," suggested Law. "I heard some pirate crews make alliances with each other for a common goal."

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy nodded their heads in contemplation.

"Well, whatever decision we make, why don't we make a different decision today."

Law raised an eyebrow as the curly haired raven brought out a distinct green bottle and four drinking cups.

"Neat! You swiped Dadan's sake?"

"Yeah. I heard somewhere that exchanging saki cups will make you brother!" explained Ace.

"Is that so?" hummed Sabo.

"Brothers?!" chirped Luffy. "So Law will be my _real_ big brother then?"

"Oi, who said I wasn't, Luffy-ya?"

Nevertheless, Law picked up a filled red saki cup just the same as the others.

"From this day forth, no matter what happens, whether we part ways or stay together, we'll always have each other. Today, we are brothers and our bond of brotherhood will never break!"

 _*Clack*_

* * *

Then came the day Sabo's father Outlook III hired the ill services of the Bluejam Pirates to retrieve Sabo. What he didn't account for was a veteran of the Grand Line with the mysterious powers of a devil fruit. Ace, Sabo, and Luffy fended off the smaller pirates while Law cut down Bluejam himself. With a contemptuous smile, Law lazily tossed most of Bluejam's body parts out to sea, tossing the remaining head to the shocked Outlook III. A single calculated gesture with his latest acquisition – a steel scalpel – and the uppity noble fled. The quartet of brothers tied up the rest of the Bluejam Pirates and left them at the center of Gray Terminal for the crows and scavengers.

Outlook III had never felt such degree of humiliation. He had hired the brutal pirate captain to capture his wayward son mostly so he could make a good impression on the visiting Tenryuubito by presenting a well-behaved blood-related son. Sure, Stelly was his current heir in light of Sabo's disappearance, but a true son would look better. The noble's eyes slid to the sleeping den den mushi. It had a black shell with a sinister red design of a pair of crossed knives, drops of blood seemingly dripping from one to forms a thin puddle. _Desperate times call for desperate measures_ thought the noble. Thank goodness he decided to try and take his son back a few weeks before the welcoming ceremony.

 _*Pururururu…Gatcha!_ *

"Hello?"

* * *

\- Three weeks later -

\- Midway Forest -

* * *

It was a day like any other. The four brothers were hunting in pairs in order to maximize their catch for the day – Ace with Luffy, and Law with Sabo. They were completely unaware of the danger closing in on them.

Ace and Luffy never saw it coming. Something rattled over to their feet and a sickly green smog billowed up. Luffy flopped down, his small body making him twice as vulnerable to the potent sleeping agent. Ace struggled against the force pulling his eyelids close, but even he eventually succumbed. As his vision darkened, he distantly registered the horrible clanking of chains.

A tall, thin figure dropped down beside the two unconscious boys, sea prism stone chains clicking at his side. Without further ado, he knelt and fastened an anklet to each child. The sleeping gas should have them under for a couple of hours, but as a precaution, the man tethered the other ends to a nearby monster of a tree. Whistling in satisfaction, the professional left in search of his real targets. One, Caer Sabo, Outlook III's son. And two, the reason why the professional accepted such a petty job in the first place aside from the berries. Caiden Mange was a mercenary under the payroll of the one and only 'Heavenly Demon,' Donquixote Doflamingo. Anyone who could retrieve the runaway brat, Trafalgar, would be guaranteed a rise of position in the family. And the devil fruit power Outlook described matched what his employer told to his subordinates.

 _You're mine, traitor._

Law had a bad feeling. Ever since this morning since they first split off to get in some hunting, he got this faint prickling sensation starting from his head and then spreading out. The kind of sensation to raise hair and send a chill. Now, though? Every instinct screamed _something wasn't right!_ The same instinct had him suddenly rounding just as Sabo and he were closing on a large warthog. One hand opened, sending a blue dome of light out and the other slashed his scalpel down, felling several mighty trees. The sudden spat of cursing cinched it.

"Sabo, we got company!"

The gentleman blond started at the sudden actions of his companion, but quickly took a battle-ready stance.

"I suppose this isn't much use hiding anymore, huh, brats?"

A single man emerged from the trees. The first thing Law noticed was his body shape. The man was painfully thin and tall, taller than even the vice-admiral. The second froze his limbs; a familiar Jolly Roger was emblazoned on the upper left side of the man's cloak.

"You truly are a smart one, Trafalgar. But what else should I expect from the kid our captain planned to groom himself? You shouldn't have betrayed the family. Even a lowly mercenary like me knows that rule."

"They were never my family!" spat Law, eyes narrowed.

Sabo's eyes darted between his brother and the rapidly increasing danger before them. Bluejam and his crew were one thing. But a pirate mercenary from the Grand Line was a sight more than what two boys could realistically fight.

The man chuckled. "It's so good you made friends, Trafalgar. Especially this one. I would have never found out your presence here if the young boy's loving father hadn't contacted me about the three devil brats holding his son "prisoner.""

"There not devils!" hissed Sabo. So many people would view his brothers as nothing more than monsters, devils, or demons. But they were his _brothers,_ people who had lives and dreams of their own, and damn his father if he tried to take that away from any of them!

"And what do you know about them?" coolly asked Law, scalpel not once trembling or lowering.

"I know you might want to relent if you ever want to see the devil fruit brat and his stubborn friend."

Law's face suddenly paled. " _Bastard,_ " he hissed, "what did you do to them?" Law gave him no more time to answer. He gestured with his index finger.

" **Takt!** " Several tree trunks lifted and slammed down. But not fast enough. The mercenary had already disappeared in a rush of speed. He was upon Law in seconds. Law attempted to fight back, but he couldn't stop the man's hand. Cold seared his veins as the telltale pinch of an injection stung the back of his neck. But he still had to try and save Sabo. _Sabo's father was the one to call this man! I have to give Sabo time to run if it's the last thing I do!_

The young former noble blanched at the incredible fighting prowess of the mercenary pirate. The speed the man demonstrated was too much for a fourteen-year-old and ten-year-old. When the man got through Law's guard and stabbed him with something, Sabo's mind finally broke through the panic. Law's eyes showed fear. Not for himself but for Sabo as those cold gray eyes screamed for the other boy to run, to escape. Sabo wasn't Ace. He wouldn't go picking pointless fights and pigheadedly finishing them one way or the other. _But who said this fight was pointless?_ Without any hesitation, Sabo dove for the man.

He never saw the flash of steel cutting his pipe in half or the kick landing squarely against his skull.

* * *

\- Gray Terminal –

* * *

Consciousness came slowly. First, the confusion and uncertainty of awakening in an unfamiliar place. Then reality sets in. Ace snarled as he looked up at the smirking bastard standing over them. Two groans from nearby put a halt to any further antagonization He sat up, blue-gray chain fastened around his ankle clanking as he found the eyes of his two brothers: Luffy and Law. No Sabo. His mind raced, trying not to think of _why_.

"Oh, good, you brats are finally awake. Don't glare, it's not like I permanently damaged any of you. Heck, the worst I did to you three was send you on a, _ahem,_ involuntary sleep."

"Where's Sabo?!" accused Luffy with all the subtlety of a sea king.

"Home," was the man's answer.

"You gave our brother to _him!_ You bastard!"

"You know, I may not have hurt you too bad this time, but that could all change.," warned the man in a disarmingly mild tone. "I don't thing I introduced myself, have I? Name's Caiden Mange, pirate mercenary in the employ of one Captain Donquixote Doflamingo. I don't suppose you've heard of him from Trafalgar?"

Ace and Luffy paled, the former because he knew the implications of those words, and Luffy because the name sent the young D a terrible feeling ever since Law first mentioned Mingo.

"I see you _do_ understand. Then, I suggest you listen carefully to what I tell you to do. Aside from retrieving the little runaway noble, using the three of you as leverage, of course, once the brat woke up, I picked up another job. And a profitable one, too. And I need the two of you to cooperate with me."

"Two?" questioned Law.

The man's grin turned feral. "Yes, two. I know better than to let you out of my sight, traitor. Sir Captain wants you alive. These two have no guarantee. It all works perfectly, really. Those two brats will work with these fine gents outside – Bluejam's men as they introduced themselves, I believe. And cooperate they shall if they don't want harm done to themselves or to you. And you'll stay here and behave or else those _brothers_ of yours pay the price. Those wannabee pirates have snail on them and expect check ins every now and again from me. And only they and I know the pattern to it. Try anything funny, and someone will be coming home incomplete. Get the picture?"

All three D's hated their kidnapper from the bottom of their hearts, but they couldn't let him hurt the other. As much as they loathed it, they acceded. Law knew too well how vicious Doflamingo's men could be.

* * *

\- That Night –

* * *

Unforgiving scarlet and gold wreathed the land. Law screamed against his gag. _Of course, he lied Trafalgar, what can you expect from a pirate? His word?_ Mange had Luffy and Ace spread explosives and inflammables throughout all of Gray Terminal. The nobles of Goa had condemned all those people to death because of some stupid World Nobles! And because of his incompetence, more of his love ones would die. Tied against a stake, Luffy and Ace struggled to get free from the sea prism stone bindings.

Something strange happened. A miracle if he believed in such things. Or fate. Out of nowhere, a huge gust of wind plunge through the raging inferno, sending the mercenary and the former Bluejam Pirates sprawling. And giving their saviors the needed distraction. Several mountain bandits dogpiled the man, while Dogra and Magra worked at the children's shackles. Law heard the click just as the pirate threw off his opponents.

 _Focus, Trafalgar!_ Law snatched up the stun Magra's sword and plunged into the fight. He vaguely registered Ace taking a stand next to him. Ace would admit _that man_ as his father first before Law let anyone take away his family again. He slashed viciously at the mercenary just as Ace followed with a well-practiced uppercut strike. Something large hurled towards them, forcing the opponents to split apart.

"You idiots! Quit fighting, and run while we have a chance!"

"Never!" denied Ace. He straightened his back and faced Caiden Mange. "I'll never turn my back or ever run away from a fight!"

"And this guy won't get away for hurting my brothers. He won't just give up, Dadan-ya."

"Law-niisan! Ace!" The bandits, already severely weakened from attacking Mange, were barely holding off the pirates. One of them had Luffy. Ace saw red.

"LUFFY!"

Law's frame shivered as a wave of _something_ arched out from Ace. The pirates and some of the nearby bandits fell unconscious. The bandits had no idea what just happened, but they weren't pressing their luck. On their leader's next orders, they fled with Luffy, leaving Dadan, Law, and Ace to hold off the pirate mercenary.

* * *

\- Morning -

* * *

Morning came. And with morning came its own horrors.

Sabo put a smile on his face as he headed out to sea on his 'borrowed' fishing boat. In all likelihood, the former noble had lost his brothers to the fires in Gray Terminal, but Ace and Luffy would hate him more if he didn't carry their dreams forward. No more would he let his family rule over his life. No more would he live in a city gleaming on the surface but hiding poison below. No more would be the caged bird singing to ideals of his noble blood. No, Sabo would set forth and find his freedom on the high seas!

An enormous galleon entered the bay waters. It easily dwarfed Sabo's own ship. The top hat wearer had almost forgotten all about the reason why the nobles had burned Gray Terminal.

* _Boom*!_

Flickering flames shrouded the tiny vessel after the Tenryuubito fired his cannon. Coughing, Sabo struggled back to his feet. He hissed as embers fell from the mast above him, scorching his already flame-touched skin.

 _*Crack*!_

He barely rolled away in time to avoid the full brunt of the fallen mast. Unfortunately, several cracked pieces of severed wood fell onto his face, painting a terrible future burn scar and knocking the top hatted boy unconscious.

The Tenryuubito readied his cannon once more. He fired.

Neither the world noble nor Sabo saw the blue field flickering to life from the shore.

" **Shambles!"**

The missile disappeared and reappeared harmlessly above in open stretch of sea behind Sabo's vessel. Before the world noble fired a third time, a boy with curly black hair and freckles had finally weathered the ocean currents and pulled himself onto the burning ship, despite the strain of his new bruises, cuts, and burns. Somehow, he made it close enough to shore for another boy to transport them to his side, nearly collapsing himself from the overexertion of his powers in the last twenty-four hours.

* * *

\- Several days later –

* * *

Slowly, Sabo regained consciousness.

"SABO!" Rubbery arms pulled the noble brat nearly off the bed.

"Luffy-ya, you're going to asphyxiate him," warned an exhausted looking Law. The dark bruise markings looked much darker than normal, almost black outlines around each eye.

"A-siphon-cake?"

"Lu, can't breathe!"

"Oh… why didn't Torao say so?" The rubber limbs unwound from Sabo's neck.

"ACE!" shouted Luffy a minute later. In the doorway stood their angry freckled raven.

"You damn pitiful excuse for a brother! What were you thinking?!" yelled Ace, running to Sabo's side and shaking him repeatedly.

"Ace-ya, like I just finishing telling Luffy-ya, quit messing with my patient. For that matter, you and Luffy-ya should resting, too. Those wounds won't heal if you rip them open," bluntly explained the young doctor.

"Fine! But when Sabo gets better…" muttered the hotheaded boy. "What about you, Trafalgar? You took as many hits as I did."

"I know how to take care of myself, though," retorted Law harshly, but his faint relieved smile said otherwise.

Ace narrowed his eyes. He knew very well what kind of face Law was making. "And I don't?"

Sabo rubbed his head. The eldest Ds' periodic arguments were not the most relaxing. The younger brothers silently agreed on sneaking out for some air while the two kept bickering back and forth. They took a seat high up in a tree, either boy gingerly making their way up the branches. The sun was beginning to set.

"…Sabo, you won't die, will you?"

The unexpected question nearly sent Sabo off his branch. Not a pleasant outcome when it would be handing the sarcastic doctor more evidence against Sabo's semblance of common sense.

"What? Why would ask that?"

Luffy answered, "Because…because we really thought you might die… _*sniff, sniff*…_ Even Law-niisan didn't know if you would wake up. You were really hurt, but he said your conduction may have also messed with your head."

"Con-CUSS-ion, Luffy," Sabo corrected absentmindedly. "Did you guys really think that?"

Luffy nodded his head. "…Ace promised not to die if you did leave us…"

… _He said WHAT?_ "Your big brother shouldn't be planning his own demise at all, Luffy. And people die. What did Law say about it?"

/ "You're an idiot Portgas. The weak can't choose how they die, and all things that live eventually die. Don't go making impossible promises like an ignorant and self-centered. What do you think, Sabo planned to get like this? You're just making _us_ worry about _you_ when it's Sabo laying there. Just live because other people want you to live. Don't go thinking too hard about it, either." /

…then Law walked off while Ace got all red and frustrated."

"Sounds like something Law would say," mused Sabo. "I'll tell that to Ace, too. But don't worry about us dying, Luffy. We'll always be there with you, even if you don't see us."

* * *

\- Later that night -

* * *

Law sat against the wall and simply listened to the soothing hum of his brothers' breathing. Brothers. Several years ago, the tragic boy would never even consider calling anyone family, and now he had three little idiots for brothers and a bigger one for an adoptive grandfather.

The words he shouted at Ace just hours before Sabo's abrupt wake-up hadn't left his mind. To live because others would have wanted you to live? _Maybe...maybe that is what Cora-san would have wanted._ Law had every intention to stop Doflamingo, but thinking on his last sight of Cora-san - his goofy big smile and his confession of love - Law resolved to make Doflamingo pay, but not without plenty time and planning.

His latest brush reaffirmed the dangerous pirate's designs on his life, but also made him appreciate the level stupidity people went through to protect their own. Cora-san's death deserved repayment, but Cora-san would have also wanted Law to live on in his place. Why else waste half a year pursing the faintest hints of a cure for him, especially considering his mission as a marine? Cora-san gave his own life just so Law would have more time. He never would have wanted Law to become a living martyr in Cora-san's name. Law would probably had done the same for Luffy, Sabo, and Ace.

 _Funny, how fate seems to laugh at us mortals,_ mused Law. If he had remained as he was in North Blue, he probably would have done just that. He wouldn't be surprise if he had to have someone else tell him about Cora-san's will.

* * *

\- Two weeks since the accident –

* * *

"I can't persuade you idiots otherwise?"

"No way in hell, Trafalgar."

The older teen ran a hand through his untidy bangs, but didn't repeat his question. If the three didn't change their mind then, should he expect them to now?

Trafalgar Law, secret D and former Donquixote pirate, was going to leave this (questionably) safe island. He always was, but Caiden's death was going to bring unwanted attention on Dawn Island sooner or later. If Law disappeared or showed up elsewhere, then he could keep his family here safe. However, short of knocking the stubborn D's and noble to the point of memory loss, he would have to contend with three idiots trailing after him one way or the other. Better they go together, then, than risk their safety because of inexperience and their separation.

So here the four brothers were. Ace and Luffy secured a fishing boat, while Sabo and Law "procured" enough supplies for at least two months out to sea – for them, that is. They had plenty of gold to barter later, although Sabo and himself left the bandits and Makino some, too. Ace offered no arguments.

As the ship pushed off, Luffy nearly fell off, and Sabo argued with Ace about sneaking off with some food, Law wondered exactly how they were going to survive the coming voyage.

Far into the distance, a lone man stood at the helm of his ship while the rest of the ship's occupants slept. Some feeling had him lingering here while his original ship returned to base. So, he was the sole witness as the four boys, each with heavy destiny full of adventure, despair, and dreams, set off years before anyone would imagine. But, the man had every confidence those boys would more than weather the dangers ahead. They would thrive and send the world reeling in their wake.


	5. Four of a Kind

Four of a Kind

* * *

A/N: As promised, a time skip. The poll closed in December, and as it follows, we'll be going with a mostly canon-influenced scheme. Once I finish with the Whitebeard Pirates Saga, there will be several time gaps where the chapters will consist of scenes most heavily influenced by LASL childhood experiences. Luffy will more or less gather the crew the same way, but I'll summarize some of the more pertinent differences as needed. I want my story to focus more on the relationships between the brothers, and that can't really happen until Sabaody. But, we have time until then, so on with the story!

Thanks to all viewers, followers, voters, and reviewers for your lovely encouragements.

One more thing; do I hail from Japan? Do I write manga? Or am I a dead man who died smiling at the end of his life? Nope. So, I don't own One Piece.

* * *

"Dialogue"

 _Thoughts_

 **Attacks**

 _*Sounds*_

/ Flashbacks /

\- Significant Temporal/Spatial Changes -

Narration, messages, etc.

* * *

\- Two Years Later -

\- The _Moby Dick -_

* * *

"Hey Pops! I got this morning's edition!" greeted the first commander as he approached his captain sitting in the galley. Whitebeard nodded his head and thanked his son for bringing him the paper.

"Hmm…" grumbled the large pirate. "As usual, there are more reckless young pirates in Paradise stirring up trouble."

"The marines seem fixated on this one group in particular," commented Marco. The phoenix Zoan leaned on one elbow casually in a simple wooden chair set to his father's right.

"Is that so? Anyone we know?"

"Only as much as anyone seems to know. A real mystery, whoever they are. Call themselves the Wild Cards Pirates. Their captain is a devil fruit user, the Mera Mera no Mi probably. Dubbed "Fire-Fist" Ace of Spades, but for some reason, no one can get any information on whether he really is named Ace, his crewmates names other than Diamonds, Hearts, and Clubs, or even what this guy or his crew look like beyond really crude drawings. Marine photographers find their cameras broken or missing parts before they can snap a picture, plus the guy attacks from afar or too viciously for anyone to get a clear idea of who's attacking them. They might have another devil fruit user judging by how well they managed to keep their identities hidden despite the amount of infamy they've generated in such little time."

"Oh? How long have they've been sailing?"

"The guys in the communications and intelligence division approximate they arrived in Paradise maybe a year or so ago. But no one knew about them until they made a stop in East Blue not too long ago. After that, they been knocking off some of the bigger fish and pissing off the marines."

"Amazing for some rookie brats to make the marines nervous in so little time. This Fire-Fist has a decent bounty for a newcomer, too. 90 million berries already. Say, anyone know where he comes from?" asked Vista as he set his mug of coffee down.

"Nope," simply relied Marco, lazy stare subtly relaying interest piqued by a good mystery.

"Any idea where these kids are?"

"Last reported, their ship the _Sleight of Hand_ was set on a course toward Pucci."

Rakuyo frowned. "Wait, didn't some of our brothers decided to vacation there for a few weeks?"

"…Damned," cursed the usually stoic first commander.

Whitebeard chest rumbled with laughter at the expression on his eldest son's face. "Is it really that bad?"

"Rumors run a hundred different directions but all of them agree Fire-Fist is easily provoked. Putting a short-tempered fire user, Thatch, and Haruta on the same island?"

"Well, didn't Izo come along as well?"

"…" The commanders questioned who thought it was a good idea to let the resident two pranksters and their short tempered and shorter trigger-finger cross-dresser loose at the same time without supervision.

"Perhaps we should join them. It would a treat for the crew. It has been a while since we visited the Gourmet City," conceded Captain Whitebeard, mirth still sparkling in his eyes, much to Marco's great constraint.

* * *

\- Pucci –

* * *

*Drip, drip*

"If you drool anymore Luffy, you're liable to drown in your own spittle river," remarked Sabo dryly. Luffy whined but obediently wiped his face.

The twelve-year-old had grown well these two years. His face was thinner, traces of baby fat all but gone as he approached adolescence. The long blue coat, white frilled cravat, and worn black top hat mimicked the appearance of a noble save for the blue goggles fastened along the rim. The younger boy was painfully thin in comparison, all legs and arms in a red T-shirt and blue shorts. Both boys also wore dark cloaks over their clothes, hoods obscuring their faces to anyone not directly next to them.

"Sabo-ya's right, Lu," chuckled the raven-haired sixteen-year-old, a long black nodachi slung against his shoulder and a white furred and speckled hat crowning his head. "We'll be staying here to restock for a few days before we continue on. I rather not have to deal with a life-or-death situation within six hours of landing. That's more of Fire-Fist-ya's style."

"What was that, you polka-dot bastard?!" snarled said reckless pirate. The other twelve-year-old wore a bright orange cowboy hat with two smiley faces decorating it in the same manner as Sabo's goggles or Luffy' red ribbon on his own straw hat.

"How creative," mocked the older boy who quickly ducked a flung fire ball.

"Cool it, you idiots! No fighting _before_ or during our visit to the Gourmet city, unless you want to play dodge the angry mob of townspeople, marines, et cetera?" scolded the top hat wearer. Both older boys grudgingly backed off.

Sabo scrubbed a hand across his face. Ever since they sailed off on their own, no, when they became brothers, the oldest two were always getting into one verbal and/or physical fight per day. The fire-user and operation-man were like hydrogen and water, dangerous when forced together. However, when they could redirect that energy towards something, like an enemy, the two could make a frightening combination. And that didn't even include the youngest set of brothers.

The four brothers set off from their home island over two years ago due to Doflamingo's lackey kidnapping the noble and doctor, threatening the lives of the other two if they misbehaved. The brothers defeated him, saved Sabo, but the incident forced them to leave all too soon. It was a combination of Sabo's research, Law's experience, and luck that pulled them through their many misadventures. They were now an infamous pirate group of their own, the Wild Cards, with Ace as the captain, Sabo as the first mate and navigator, Law as their doctor, and Lu as the ship's resident brawler and secret weapon. The latter two, though, didn't really acknowledge themselves as members of the crew since they had every intention to leave and start their own crews at age 17 as they previously agreed. Even their current infamy was really more of accident on Ace's part. Flame-brained idiot couldn't hold his temper and lambasted this one fishman bastard just before they left East Blue for hopefully the last time. Made an island pretty happy, and the East Blue had one less bigwig pirate causing mayhem. But Sabo still ranted at the freckled pre-teen for a good ten minutes after the news coo came by. From then on, it was one thing after another. No one reported their real appearances so far, but it was only time.

Before landing on Pucci, the blue-coated child made all three swear on their bonds as brothers to not stir up a huge mess like they almost always did. The visit to the Gourmet city was strictly a supply and rest stop, nothing more or less.

Although, it was doubtful that the blond's plans would pan out that way.

Once he had everyone's attention, Sabo began to plan out their stay on the island.

"Okay, Tait and Lora are handling food and some of the miscellaneous ship supplies while Edgar is keeping watch on the ship. Law, mind keeping an eye of Lu while you restock on medicine and the other medical needs of the ship?"

The teen gave Sabo a blank look that seemed to say everything.

"…I'll lend you a few hundred extra berries for your lunches and some of the more exotic equipment you've been eyeing in those recent journals you've been reading."

"Deal, then, Sabo-ya. I'll make sure our trouble magnet doesn't start a brawl or runs off again," replied the teen with a self-satisfied smirk, much to the younger's irritation.

"Just get out of here and take Lu with you, ya smug bastard," snapped Ace. Law laughed as he snagged the nine-year-old by the scruff of his shirt using the hilt of Kikoku.

"Why are we brothers again?" grumbled the hot-headed pre-teen.

Sabo clicked his tongue. "Because, I would be driven mad if I didn't have someone else besides Edgar to share in an intellectual debate."

"Hey! What's that suppose ta mean?"

Sabo simply chuckled as he turned towards one of the roads leading into the city proper.

"Hurry up, Spades. Edgar swore he would play nothing but funeral dirges if we don't return with ammo, metal polish, and the other weapon supplies. And he's going to play right by your side of the room, too."

"Why _my_ side?"

"Because, as I recall it, a certain pyromaniac forgot to mind his temperamental flames and blew up part of the ship. We still need to make a trip of Water 7 since a quick patch job isn't enough."

"Well, maybe he should have put the gunpowder somewhere else!"

"…he put it in the ship's storage room _below_ deck," pointed out Sabo. Ace stopped talking and sullenly stared out to the side as they went off in search of a weapon supplier.

* * *

\- Meanwhile… -

* * *

"Laaaawwww!" whined a certain straw hatted individual. "Why can't I have more?"

"Because," responded the surgeon dryly, "you already had three cakes, five muffins, a dozen cream puffs, and an assortment of candies. I still need to buy our lunch plus medicine and equipment. Just wait until then. It won't hurt to wait a bit."

The two entered a medical supply store. Law strolled over to the counter to put in the order before asking whether they had received new medical equipment.

The teen was sure to grab the rubber-boy as the clerk escorted him to the back.

"Look, don't touch," warned the older boy as he went over to speak to the clerk about some of the displayed items.

Luffy nodded his head absentmindedly as he eyed the various machines and gadgets. He didn't have the faintest idea how one could fix people with this stuff, but Law was a good doctor and smart guy, almost as smart as Sabo and probably knew what everything did.

* * *

\- ten minutes later –

* * *

Law swore. He took two fucking minutes to speak to the clerk, and somehow his rubber-brained brother had disappeared completely from the shop and the surrounding area. The teen pinched the bridge of his nose, a Luffy-induced headache already forming less than two hours after they docked. _Think, Trafalgar. Where would that bottomless pit g-_ Bottomless pit. Law checked his timepiece. Nearly noon. The teen let his head fall into his hand and groaned. Then he began to question the locals on the nearest restaurants, particularly ones serving meat.

The moment Law walked into the restaurant, he knew his brother was there. One, there was a huge crowd of paling to green people. Two, several tables' worth of finished off plate towers were scattered about. And three, he could _hear_ Luffy gobbling down on more food with the gusto of a typical D outside of himself and a few others. The fur hat-cladded teen didn't need to glance at his money pouch to know they didn't have nearly a quarter of the amount to pay for all the food, _and_ the ship's medical supplies. So, without much bravo, Law used his Room to teleport himself, Luffy, and the remaining plates several streets away from the area, much to the waiter's dismay. Law didn't care, and the dine' n' dash was kind of nostalgic.

"Law," cheered the nine-year-old with his typical grin, straw hat sliding onto his back.

*SMACK!*

"You rubber-brained doofus! I told you to. Stay. The fuck. Put. I turn around for two minutes? No Luffy," gritted out Law.

"But Law," whined the straw hatted boy, "it smelled so good! And I was hungry. But you can have the rest."

Not even Law's deadpanned expression could last when Luffy sported his puppy dog face. The surgeon sighed, and reached over to nibble on a rice ball.

"Whatever. I have some more berries for equipment and other stuff since we left without paying for lunch. Come 'on, we'll walk around for a bit, preferably _away_ from that fine establishment, and then grab the supplies. I hope to Roger Sabo is having a better time keeping a leash on Ace," grumbled the teen under his breath as he placed Luffy's beloved hat back on his head and directed him over to some market stalls.

* * *

\- Elsewhere –

* * *

Instead of waiting to pay for their food – especially considering how short on berries the crew was with much of their treasure reserved for repairs – the captain and first mate of the Wild Cards opted to rely on one of their oldest solutions for payment issues just as Law and Luffy have done; they dined then ran off on the bill.

Only, unlike Law, the two didn't have the benefit of instant teleportation to some other location. Just as the two twelve-year-olds made their get-away into an alley, a pair of hands shot out and grabbed them by the collars of their shirts.

"Hey, you bastards! Put us down!" yelled the dark-haired boy, flames threatening to be set loose on said bastards.

The boy looked up and met jolly eyes of a redhead man with the most ridiculous hairstyle the pre-teen has ever seen.

"Don't you brats know running off from the bill is bad manners?"

Sabo gave the guy a sharp-toothed grin. "Maybe so, my good sir, but my brother and I may have found ourselves short on change – and evidently luck. Perhaps we can persuade you to forget about this? It'll only be a one-time thing." _For this island,_ finished the gentleman pirate silently.

The redhead grinned, but didn't loosen his grip. "Now, little guys, I think you two know exactly what you should do when you've been cau-"

"Thatch! You gotta try and make this pastry for everyone back home. I- wait, why are you holding a couple of kids?" asked a short and rather youthful-looking brunet in a frilly green outfit.

Ace and Sabo knew a distraction when they saw it and had no qualms exploiting it. The moment the weirdo turned to the other weirdo, Sabo swiped at him with the pipe the top hat-wearer always kept on his person. Likewise, Ace let his collar dissolved in the thinnest of flames before rounding on the man and taking a slug at him. Much to the duo's bewilderment, the man ducked Sabo's swing and sidestepped Ace's punch. He even had the guts to chortle!

Ace forgot everything about subtly. With a growl, the small pirate captain took another swing, this time lighting his hand on fire.

" **Fire Fist!** " Instead of dodging, the man simply grabbed Ace's hand, flames somehow dispersed without burning the other. Unfortunately, he had to let go of the blond in order to effectively block the other flaming punch coming at him.

"Whoa, kid! No need to go fire demon on me!"

Sabo wordlessly swore as he tried to figure out how the man had managed to grab hold of his brother who was the living embodiment of fire.

Haruta, Thatch, and Izo had no intention of getting into mischief. Really. They were on vacation, after all, and on one of their own islands, too. Anyways, the petite swordsman had just finished snacking on one of Pucci's many fine gourmet desserts and was looking for Thatch since Izo had gone off to sample the local styles of the Gourmet City. He did not expect Thatch to grab a couple of kids before getting nearly bashed in the head by the blond one while the other tried to punch him. Thatch was lucky he had been developing his Observation haki recently, else he would be sporting some fine lumps right about now. Then the angry-looking raven fist-fighter decided to make things interesting by bringing _fire_ to the brawl.

Speaking of which… "Thatch, didn't the newspapers this morning report a pirate with fire logia abilities?"

At that moment, Thatch had to fling the fire brat away as the other one charged with his sea prism stone pipe.

"Wha- Haruta, I'm kind of busy her- You mean 'Fire-Fist' Ace of Spades? The guy no one knows about?" interjected Thatch between incoming blows.

"Well, what would you call that? Body parts don't just catch on fire for no reason." [A/N: as far as they know]

"This kid has a 90 million berries bounty? He's, what, ten?"

"I'm twelve!" snarled said pre-teen, as he lunged like a rocket of fire.

"Like that's any better!" remarked the swordsman nonchalantly. A flash of steel intercepted the incoming steel pipe.

"I take it you must be one of the other suits? If he's Spades, you must be…?"

The blond smiled good-naturedly and replied, "Diamonds, at your service. Grave service if the case may be."

The swordsman blinked. "That's pretty morbid, kid."

"Well, in this life, you can't take any chances," shot the pre-teen back as he struck rapidly. The brunet frowned, but his sword easily kept pace.

Thatch and Haruta exchanged a single look. Before either child could blink, never mind react, the flats of two swords knocked both into the ground. Heads slammed into pavement, and the two small pirates knew no more.

* * *

\- Later –

* * *

"So, let me get this straight; you two thought it would be a good idea to bring two children into our rooms because they allegedly their members of the latest rookie crew to make headlines?" deadpanned the cross-dresser. Today, he had worn a rather flattering white and pink kimono with the design of berries and fruits used frequently in many of Pucci's finest desserts. Thatch and Haruta tried to sputter out their reasons, but the gun-toting pirate silenced them with a finger.

"No excuses! We, proud pirates of Whitebeard, may occasionally take the unconventional route to recruit new members, but we do not kidnap children!"

Said children gave the approximation of growls, gags muffling their voices.

"And another thing! Don't you think their crewmates will notice their absence? My _friends_ made it quite plain that one of the most solid thing we have on the Wild Cards is that the people bearing the names of the four suits do _not_ react well with the others being attacked. More so when their other crewmates are put into a corner. So, what made you think this was in any way a good idea? And someone, please untie them? What are we, brutes?" ranted the elegant man with a decisive sniff.

Haruta and Thatch very reluctantly released the two. Both boys glared with open hostility at the two.

"Well?"

"Yeah…sorry about kidnapping you," apologized both pirates with their heads down.

"Why'd you do it in the first place?!" bit out the fire-user. The boy in the blue coat spared the other a sharp look before turning onto the pirates with interest.

"Forgive, Spades, he can be a bit short-tempered, especially since he ate his devil fruit. But I am of the same mind. What did you two hoped to gain by kidnapping us? Our crew would stage an assault on the Whitebeard Pirates, as much as I would rather hope not, first and foremost despite the overwhelming odds."

"Led by Hearts and Clubs, I take it?" inquired Haruta with a tilted head.

Sabo nodded. "Yes, they would. They would even go as far as challenge the Emperor himself."

The Whitebeard commanders smiled. "Now, that kind of devotion we can understand," started Thatch. "In fact, it kind of strengthens the reason why we kidnapped you guys."

"Oh? And why that, you bastards," snapped Ace, flames roiling just below his skin from anger and a very reluctant dose of fear.

"Because, after Haruta and I knocked you guys out, we both came up with the same brilliant idea. Tell me, how would the Wild Cards like to be a part of our crew?"

…

…

…

"No. Freaking. WAY!" both children yelled. The boy they knew as Diamonds cracked the pane of glass with his pipe before grabbing onto the Ace of Spades. Before they knew it, both boys rocketed out of the hotel room in a great burst of flames.

"Well, I think that went well," piped up Haruta, earning a solid thwack from Izo.

The saber-user glowered, but the 16th commander only turned about and headed toward their room door.

"Izo, where are you going?"

"Where do you think? I have to pay the manager for the repairs on that window…and our room. After that, I'm going after those brats. Those kids will probably stir up a riot. Plus, it's simply not done to let a bunch of kids sail the Grand Line like this. If the rest of the crew is around their age, I as a proper lady cannot condone letting them loose and possibly get hurt."

Haruta blinked a few times. "But, Izo, they've been sailing for 'bout a year on their own. And you don't know if they're all children," reminded the 12th division commander.

"But," interjected Thatch before the kimono-clad man could muster up his ire, "it won't hurt to keep an eye on them, don't you think? Their crew may not be the same ages as them, but I bet my last berry those four suits are probably around the same age considering their close bonds. And, well, they are identified as the major fighters and leaders of the Wild Cards…"

Izo narrowed his eyes, and, without a word, stepped out of the room, door closing behind him silently.

"Man, that guy," muttered Haruta. "He has to do practically everything with a bit of finesse, huh?"

Thatch shrugged. "He IS the mastermind of our communications and intelligence network." The chef followed after Izo, and Haruta, with a grin, did the same. _Now, this is what I call an exciting vacation._

* * *

\- Docks –

* * *

"So, let me get see if I heard correctly. Hearts and Clubs pulled the old dine' n' dash routine and got off scot-free, but when our illustrious leaders do it, they get nabbed. Not only nabbed, but kidnapped temporarily by none other than two, sorry, _three_ Whitebeard commanders. While we are on said crew's island. What was that sir Sabo said earlier? _'Don't go stirring up trouble'_?"

The blond stared down as the young woman reproached the two embarrassed pre-teens. Evers Lora may only be eighteen-years-old, but she could mother henpeck with best matrons. If she felt like the boys weren't listening…well, they call her their 'Queen of the Sunset' for more than her exotic looks. Beyond the fiery red hair, the fan-like fins blending into her dress, and a tail colored in bands of bold red, white, and black, the mermaid had venomous spines all over her tail and along her spine. For some, she was the vision of the sunset, the last one they'll ever see again. And considering her expertise in other poisons and her penchant for knives… let's just say even Law tried not to attract her ire.

"Tait, back me up here, buddy?"

Their third-in-command, chef, watchman, and everything else not already overseen, simply smiled and went back to helping Edgar, Lora's older half-brother, load the supply.

"Don't you look away from me, Portgas D. Ace! And Caelum, you better remember where my eyes are!"

Reluctantly, both men stared into the bottomless abyss that was their poison expert's black eyes.

"I hope you two have had your fill of trouble for a while. And don't think I forgot about you losing Luffy, Trafalgar! You're lucky he didn't wreck the place. We'll continue this discussion later, but I do believe our first mate advised our expedient leave-taking?"

Sabo went instantly from chided child, to the sly-minded and sharp-eyed mastermind of their small crew.

"Yes. Those Whitebeard pirates may decide to come after us. Or they inform those, ahem, fine _establishments_ of our exploits. Or, they may just dismiss altogether. In any of these cases, it will be prudent for us to cut this trip short, especially as I have managed to procure an Eternal Pose to Water 7."

Ace snorted. "Why let those bastards chase us out? We can take them!"

Edgar paused in his unloading and loading of supplies. "Seriously, Captain Ace? You two, our best direct fighters after Dr. Trafalgar, got, in eloquent terms, _schooled._ They're pirates from the crew of an _emperor!_ Commanders, no less. I agree with our first mate."

"Seconded," announced Lora.

"Third," yawned Tait.

Law smirked, "I think you've been outvoted, Ace-ya."

"Shut the hell up, you smug bastard!"

"Now where did I hear that before?"

Luffy being Luffy decided to join his oldest brothers in their short brawl on the piers while Sabo directed the rest of the preparations. Tait patted the serious twelve-year-old on the shoulder.

"Look at it this way, those guys will hopefully pent out their frustrations and energies for the day, and by then, we'll be long gone from Pucci."

Sabo glared at his next-in-command.

"Never mind," chuckled the brunet as he began to whistle a jaunty tune to drown out the crashes and thunks of flying fists, legs, and even bodies.


End file.
